Things Change
by ashame2004
Summary: Buffy Summers moves to Sunnydale with her Aunt her life is going good she has new Friends But what happens when her obsessive Ex comes back? WIP Read and Review... **CHAPTER 7 UP**
1. Part 1

It was her first day at a new school, and a new town.  
  
She and her aunt, Anya, moved to Sunnydale after she was kicked out for starting a fire in the gym of her old school. Anya had had to find a new job, and when she found it, they moved.  
  
"Are you going to wear that to school?" Her aunt asked.  
  
"Yes, why?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Why don't you wear that pink dress with the flowers I bought you?" Anya asked, pouring coffee in her cup.  
  
"Aunt Anya, you know I don't like pink. Besides, I like my clothes."  
  
"Fine," her aunt huffed, "but you better have made some friends by the end of today, or I'm burning everything black you own and you're grounded until you get some. The only friends you had at your old school were Riley and his ROTC friends. They were no good, and I don't have to remind you what happened with him." She turned and left Buffy standing in the kitchen of their new home to go to work at the new art gallery that she owned.  
  
"Have a nice day," Buffy said to the empty kitchen, before she turned to walk out the door.  
  
  
  
In her first period, she met Cordelia and Faith Chase.  
  
"Excuse me," Cordelia said. "This is my seat. Move now." Buffy got up and sat in another seat. Then, Cordelia tapped her on the shoulder again. "That's my sisters seat. You might want to go sit in the back; that's usually where all the losers sit anyway."  
  
Buffy got up and went to the back. She noticed three other kids in the back- -two boys, one with black hair and the other with bleach blond, and the girl with red hair. They were all dressed in black and each one of them had on a trench coat. When the redhead turned and saw Buffy starring at them, Buffy looked down at her papers and waited for class to start.  
  
When the bell rang, the teacher looked at Buffy. "Class, we have a new student. Will you please stand up and introduce yourself?" The teacher asked. Buffy stood and all eyes were on her.  
  
"Hi, my name is Buffy," she said, her voice full of confidence she did not feel. She knew she was turning bright red, but the sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could sit down. "Buffy Ann Summers," she said her full name and continued, "I moved here with my aunt from LA."  
  
"Why did you move here Buffy?" The teacher asked.  
  
"Oh.umm.I.uhh.I don't want to talk about it," Buffy said, as she sat down.  
  
"Okay, then, very well, let's get started. Class, pull out your textbooks and turn to page 127, on the French revolutionary war. Mr. Giles, will you please hand Ms. Summers a text book.thank you." The blond haired boy handed her a book and gave her a timid smile before sitting back down.  
  
After that, all her classes went by pretty fast. First, second, third, fourth, and now she was in lunch, poking at something the lunch lady called tuna surprise--she did not want to know what the surprise was. She noticed that in all her classes, one of the three people she saw this morning in her first period was there. Someone sitting down across from her cut off her thoughts.  
  
"Oh, tuna surprise. You don't want to eat that. It'll make your tummy all upset," the red head said in a childish manner, and pushed Buffy's tray out from in front of her. "Here. It's PB and J."  
  
"Thanks," Buffy said, as she took a bite.  
  
"You're welcome. My name's Willow Rosenburg," the redhead said.  
  
"Cool. I'm-"  
  
"I know. Buffy Summers. You're in my first period. That thing with Miss Clark making you talk in front of the class? Don't worry about it. She does it to all the new kids," she said with a smile.  
  
"Oh," Buffy said, with a small smile of her own.  
  
"My boyfriend, Xander, and my friend, Spike, are going to sit with us. Is that cool with you?"  
  
"Yeah. Um.if you want me to leave and find another table, I will," she said, putting her hand on her book bag.  
  
"No, that's cool. You look like you need some friends and I know you don't want to go and hang out with the Chase sisters," she said, giving Buffy a smile, and pointing to the table in the far right corner with all the jocks and cheerleaders sitting around the Chase sisters.  
  
"Hey, baby," Xander said, sitting next to Willow and giving her a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Hey, where's Spike?" Willow asked.  
  
"He's coming, just giving Snyder a hard time."  
  
"Oh, Xand, this is Buffy," she said, taking her hand and motioning to Buffy.  
  
"Hey, the name's Alexander Harris, but everyone just calls me Xander," he said, extending his hand.  
  
"Hi, my name's Buffy," she said, shaking his hand.  
  
A few seconds later, a coat being thrown on the table beside her, and the bleached blond sitting down startled Buffy.  
  
"Fucking Snyder gave me a week of detention just because I called his precious niece's a ho," Spike grumbled, looking at Xander, who just chuckled.  
  
"Spike, this is Buffy. She's new, so be nice," Willow said.  
  
Spike turned and looked at the blond sitting next to him, and all his smart- ass comments were gone. She was a goddess in all black and blond hair. He was in love already.  
  
"Hey, I'm Buffy. Sorry to hear bout your week's detention," she said, starting to loosen up a bit.  
  
"S'okay. My name's Spike," he said, shaking her hand.  
  
"Spike. Huh. Cool name.it's not your real name, is it?" She asked.  
  
"No, actually, my real name's William," he whispered, "but I prefer Spike."  
  
"Oh, ok. Spike, cool coat." and with that, the conversation was started.  
  
After about five minutes, they were all sharing stories. Buffy told them how she got kicked out of school for starting a fire, but did not tell them how it got started. Then, Willow told her that Spike's father owned a magic shop. Buffy hoped that she could go and hang out with them. She really liked them.  
  
"We're all going there after school. You should come and hang out with us," Willow said.  
  
"I'd love to, but I don't know if my aunt will let me." Buffy said her aunt was kind of overprotective sometimes.  
  
"I'll go with you to your house after school, if you want. I'll tell your aunt 'bout my father and the shop.if you want," Spike said, as the bell rang.  
  
"That would be nice," Buffy said.  
  
"Meet me out front at two o'clock, by the flagpole," Spike said as he dashed off to class with Xander.  
  
"Come on, I'll show you where study hall is," Willow said, taking Buffy's hand and pulling her down the hall.  
  
"You know, I think Spike likes you," Willow said to her, halfway down the hall.  
  
"What? Why?" Buffy asked, blushing at the thought that he would like her.  
  
"Well, first of all, you're drop dead gorgeous and he's never nice to people he just meets, unless he likes them. Oh, and he wouldn't have offered to go to your house after school. And he told you his real name. It took me and Xand months to get him to tell us," she finished, with a grin on her face.  
  
When they were finally standing outside the door that said Study Hall, Willow said, "And besides, I know you like him."  
  
"How do you know?" Buffy asked, as she and her new friend sat down in desks opposite each other.  
  
"I know I don't know you that well, but I just have this feeling that you like him, don't you?" Willow asked. Buffy looked around the room. There was no teacher, but some kids were doing work, but others were just talking.  
  
"Umm.where's the teacher?" Buffy asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Who knows? Well, do you like him? I won't tell, pinky swear," she said, holding up her pinky.  
  
"Ok, fine, I like him, but you can't tell him," Buffy said, taking Willow's pinky in her own.  
  
"This is so cool! You two should go out. I haven't seen him with any one since his ex, Dru, left to go back to England. Did you have a boyfriend in LA, Buffy?"  
  
"Yeah. His name is Riley. I broke up with him after his ex came to town and they slept together. Weeks before I burned down the gym, he told me I was a bitch, that no one else wanted me, and that I would die without him. He came after me once."  
  
"Oh my God, that's so scary. What happened to him?" She asked, looking at Buffy  
  
"He got put in prison. He gets out next year," Buffy said, looking back at Willow, who had a shocked expression on her face. "I'm not worried, if that's what you think. He doesn't know where I am, and I hope it stays that way."  
  
When Buffy finished, Willow pulled out her binder, with pictures on the front.  
  
"Who's that?" Buffy asked, pointing to a tall man with the face of an angel and dark eyes.  
  
"Spike's brother," Willow answered, pulling it out, and handing it to Buffy.  
  
"Spike has a brother? What's his name?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Angelus, but he liked to be called Angel. He moved to Los Angeles with Spike's mother, after their parents got divorced." Willow looked over at Buffy, who was smiling.  
  
"What?" Willow asked.  
  
"Do you really think Spike likes me?" She asked, blushing.  
  
"Yeah, but I'll ask Xander later, coz' if I know him as well as I think I do, he and Spike are talking about you right now," Willow said as the dismissal bell rang. Buffy and Willow packed up their stuff and walked outside.  
  
"I have to go meet Xander by the gym. I'll see you later," Willow said, walking away.  
  
"Later, hopefully, if Spike can convince my aunt to let me come by and hang out," Buffy said. Suddenly, Willow turned.  
  
"Here," she said. "It's my phone number In case you can't come by today, I want you to call me tonight, any time. I'm always home, kay? See ya," Willow said, rushing toward the gym.  
  
Buffy sat down by the flagpole and waited for Spike.  
  
"Hello, pet," Spike said, walking over to Buffy.  
  
"Hey, Spike. What's with that name?"  
  
"What, 'pet?' Don't know. Everyone else has a nickname. Thought you needed one, too." At her look, he continued, "You know, Xander has 'Xand man,' Willow has 'Red,' the Chase sisters have 'slut' and 'hoe bag'." When she laughed, he said, "So, where you live at?"  
  
"1116 Revello Drive. We were going to move into a house on Frankford Street, but we changed our minds."  
  
"That's cool," Spike said, as they started walking. "I live at 1121 Frankford Street. It's only one block away from your house," he said, smiling as they walked toward her home.  
  
"Aunt Anya!" Buffy called as she entered her new house. She knew her aunt was home; her car was in the driveway.  
  
"In here, Buffy!" Her aunt called from the kitchen. Buffy walked to the kitchen with Spike right behind her. When she entered the kitchen, she saw her aunt standing with boxes all around her, unpacking dishes.  
  
"Hi, Aunt Anya. This is my friend Sp-"  
  
"William," Spike said, as he walked over to her and extended his hand.  
  
"Hello, William. My name is Anya. Feel free to call me it, but no 'Missus.' It makes me feel old," she said, shaking his hand, and then going back to unpacking.  
  
"Umm, Aunt Anya, Spike and his other friends go to his father's shop after school to hang out and stuff, and they wanted to know if I could come and hang out with them. Can I go?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," her aunt said.  
  
"We might go to this club later, like, at 8:00. It's called the Bronze. Can Buffy come with us, Anya?" He asked.  
  
"Okay, she can go," she said, looking at Spike, then looking at Buffy. "But, you have to be home before 11:30, got it? Oh, and I'll need the number of where you'll be, in case I need Buffy to come back home."  
  
"Okay, here is my cell phone number. I always keep it on, so you should have no trouble getting hold of me," he said, as he handed her a piece of paper.  
  
"All right, see you later, Aunt Anya," Buffy said, making her way to the door.  
  
"Bye, Anya," Spike said.  
  
"Buffy!" Anya called. "Go get a warmer jacket!"  
  
"All right. Come on Spike, I'll show you my room while we're up there."  
  
When they were in Buffy's room, she opened up her closet and pulled out a trench coat that looked somewhat like Spike's and pulled it on.  
  
"Nice," Spike said, touching the sleeve and giving her a sexy grin.  
  
"Thanks," she said, blushing. Then, they left her house to go to the Magic Box. 


	2. Part 2

When Buffy entered the shop, she saw Willow and Xander sitting at a big round table in the center.  
  
"Hi! You made it! Cool!" Willow said.  
  
"Yeah," Buffy said, sitting down next to her at the table. "So, what are you guys doing?"  
  
"We're cataloging, for Giles," Xander said.  
  
"Speaking of him, where is he?" Spike asked.  
  
"He's in the back, with the rest of the shipment," Willow answered.  
  
"I'll be back, guys," Spike said, as he got up and walked to the back room of the shop. Willow and Xander returned to finishing their work.  
  
"Does any of this stuff really work?" Buffy asked after a few minutes silence.  
  
"No, not really. I mean, yeah, there are spells and stuff that probably do, but it's not what you see on TV like on that show, 'Charmed,' or that stupid soap opera, 'Passions,'" Willow said, getting up from the table and going over to one of the shelves. "Like this is an Orb of Thesula. All it is is a shiny rock, but to people who study witchcraft and stuff, it's a soul catcher or something," Willow said, looking at the rock.  
  
"Oh," Buffy said, getting up and moving over to a bookshelf and pulling out one of the books. "Demonology and Witchcraft: Volume 2. I can't believe people believe this junk," she said aloud, mostly to herself, but Willow heard and walked over to her.  
  
"Yeah, but some of the stuff is neat to look at," she said, as Buffy put the book back.  
  
"Yeah, neat," she said, somewhat distracted, looking at the case of jewelry next to the bookshelf.  
  
Willow noticed this and walked behind the case, pulling Buffy with her. She took a set of keys out of her pocket and opened the top.  
  
"Wow!" Buffy said, as she picked up a necklace that had a heart with what looked like a spike going through it. "It's pretty," she said, noticing how it looked like real blood on the spike, and where it entered the heart. She put the necklace back in its original place, and Willow closed the case just as Spike and an older man with a gray suit and glasses came out of the back room.  
  
"Buffy, come here!" Spike called from the cash register, in the front of the store. She walked over to him. "This is my dad," he said, looking at Buffy. "Dad, Buffy. Buffy, Dad."  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Buffy. My name's Rupert, but feel free to call me 'Giles,'" he said, looking at Buffy.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Giles," Buffy said, but she was interrupted by him.  
  
"Please Buffy, just Giles," he said.  
  
"Or you can call him 'G-man,' like I do," Xander shouted across the room.  
  
"Ha ha, Xander. Very funny. Now, I don't want to be rude, but if you all don't mind, I have some work to do. Could you please run along?" Giles asked.  
  
"Sure, Dad. Do you mind if we stop by the house until the Bronze opens?" Spike asked, shrugging on his jacket.  
  
"Go ahead," he answered.  
  
"Thanks, Dad. See ya!" Spike said to his dad.  
  
"Just don't leave a mess!" Giles shouted after them.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Later on, at the Bronze, Xander and Willow were slow dancing. Buffy and Spike were sitting at a table close to the bar, but not too far from the dance floor. Buffy was watching the couple dance. They looked so in love, holding each other close, talking softly, and kissing. It was sweet. Buffy could only hope that she would find that kind of love.  
  
When another slow song came up, Spike stood and extended his hand to her. "Dance?" He asked. She stood and they both walked out to the dance floor.  
  
When they began to dance, she noted how her body fit perfectly with his. He was tall, but not overwhelming. He held her tight, but not so tight so she felt smothered. She had just met him, but she felt herself falling for him already. She felt safe with him, and she only had known him for less than a day.  
  
"Buffy," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Yes?" She asked, looking up at him.  
  
"You want to come over my house; hang out with us, since it's the weekend?"  
  
"Sure," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. It's funny, she thought, I feel so comfy. I hope he does too.  
  
The rest of that year went by pretty much the same. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Spike would go to school, hang out at lunch, and after school. They were becoming good friends. When prom came up, Willow and Xander went together, and when Spike asked Buffy, she said yes. After prom, they finally kissed. It was filled with passion and desire, and ever since then, they had been inseparable.  
  
** Less then year later **  
  
"Wow, Buffy, that dress is really pretty," Willow said, as Buffy modeled a long, tight black dress.  
  
"I think I might get it," she said, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "What about you; what are you getting?" She asked, turning to look at Willow.  
  
"I don't know if we're going. Xander hasn't said much about it," Willow said, with sadness in her voice.  
  
"Oh, come on, Wills. You have to go say something to Xand, because, you know what? It's prom and to top it off, it's senior prom. Last chance to make fun of the Chase sisters before graduation," Buffy said, as she went back in to the changing room to put her clothes back on.  
  
"All right, but what about a dress. What color do you think I should get?" Willow said, as she and Buffy went back out into the shop.  
  
"Blue," Buffy said, walking up to a blue dress that looked just like hers.  
  
"Okay. If Xander wants to go, I'll get this one," she promised, as they went over to the cash register to pay for Buffy's dress.  
  
Later, at Buffy's house, Willow went home and Buffy was lying on her bed with her eyes closed, willing away the headache she had gotten listening to Willow ramble on about all the fun she and Buffy were going to have at UC Sunnydale, and what classes they would take. She loved Willow to death, but sometimes she could be annoying.  
  
When Buffy heard a knock at her door, she pulled a pillow over her head and yelled, "Whoever you are, go away!" But, they didn't listen; instead they opened the door and walked in.  
  
"Hey," the voice said, "your aunt let me in. What's wrong? Red said you weren't feeling well." He said this as Buffy moved the pillow to look at the person sitting beside her.  
  
"I just have a headache, Spike. No need to worry," she said, as he kicked off his shoes and settled down beside her. She cuddled up to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the lips.  
  
"Better?" He asked softly.  
  
"Yeah," she answered, yawning  
  
"Why don't you go to sleep, pet?" He whispered.  
  
"You don't mind?" She asked, already half-asleep.  
  
"No," he said.  
  
"I love you," she whispered, and then she was asleep.  
  
Spike was shocked. That was the first time he had ever heard her say that. When her words finally sunk in, he softly answered, "I love you too pet," and kissing her head, he soon fell asleep next to her.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, over in Los Angeles, Riley was sitting at his laptop computer.  
  
"Johnson!" Riley called. "Get me a plane ticket to Sunnydale, California," he ordered, when the man finally entered the room.  
  
"Okay, Boss. How long ya staying?" The man asked, picking up the phone.  
  
"Don't know. Till I get my girl back," Riley said, shutting off his computer.  
  
"With all due respect, Boss, what makes you think she wants you back?" The man asked, as he dialed the number for the airport.  
  
"Oh, she does, and if she doesn't want to admit it, I'll just have to make her," he answered, leaving the room to pack.  
  
"Fucking psycho," the man mumbled, and went back to purchasing the ticket.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 


	3. Part 3

Back in Sunnydale  
  
Buffy bolted straight up in bed, in a cold sweat and gasping for air. She was having the dreams again, the ones where Riley was in her house and trying to kill her. Spike awoke when Buffy sat up. He propped himself up in one elbow, and placed his hand on her back.  
  
"Pet, what's wrong?" He asked, somewhat groggily, rubbing her back soothingly.  
  
"I had that dream again," she whispered, lying back down, resting her head on his chest, and willing the tears away. "It felt so real," she sobbed.  
  
"Look at me," Spike commanded. He put his hand under her chin, and forced her to look at him. "I won't let him hurt you, not if I can help it. You know I'd kill him before he had the chance. I love you too much to let any thing bad happen to you," he said, wiping a tear from her cheek.  
  
"Thank you," she said, leaning up to kiss him. The kiss soon deepened, and Buffy's hand traveled down Spike's chest, and to the buttons on his pants. Spike broke the kiss, and grabbed her hand.  
  
"Buffy, we can't. Your aunt's home," Spike scolded.  
  
"We can be quiet," she said.  
  
"Pet, you could never be quiet. You're very vocal," Spike teased, with a sexy grin on his face.  
  
"Well, I." Buffy trailed off when she heard her aunt downstairs, yelling and slamming cabinets. "I think we should go downstairs and see what she's so unhappy about," she said, as Spike sat and scooted over to the edge of the bed, and put on his shoes. Buffy walked over to her closet and put hers on as well.  
  
When she and Spike got downstairs, her aunt was sitting in her office, in the den.  
  
"Hello, Buffy, William," she said, looking up from her computer.  
  
"Aunt Anya, what's wrong?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Oh, everything. Pitman's art gallery, the branch over in England, wants me to come with one of my exhibits," she said, looking through a pile of papers on her desk.  
  
"Why?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Because the curator heard about the good reviews I'm getting and wants to honor me with an award, and they want me to bring a preview of my newest addition to the gallery," she said.  
  
"Oh, are you going?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I suppose. I've never been to England; it could be fun," she said, getting up and going over to one of her filing cabinets. Buffy and Spike sat down on the sofa in the far corner.  
  
"England is a great place, Anya. I haven't been there since I was fourteen, but still it's a nice place. I think you should go. When is the trip scheduled for?" He asked.  
  
"A week from now. I really need to go pack and get things ready here. Buffy, do you think you'll be okay here? I'll be gone for a month."  
  
"Yeah, but Aunt Anya, graduation's in a week, and if you go to England, you'll miss it," Buffy said, disappointed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Buffy, but we'll have to talk later. Right now, I have work to do," Anya said.  
  
"Fine. But, I'm going over Spike's," Buffy said, grabbing her coat and Spike's hand, walking out her front door.  
  
"I'm sorry, Buffy," Spike said, letting go of her hand, and putting his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"S' okay," Buffy said, resting her head on his shoulder. Neither one of them noticed the man hiding in the bushes.  
  
"You will be mine again, Buffy, and this I promise," the dark haired man said, as he watched the couple walk down the street. The man pulled out his cell phone, and dialed a number. "Riley here.I need a favor, Johnson.Yeah. No.Perfect! I need you in Sunnydale in three days. Got it? Good.Bye." and with that, Riley hung up the phone.  
  
"Yes, Buffy, you will be mine again," he whispered, and walked away. 


	4. Part 4

"Well, Boss, it's all set up. We finally have all the cameras in all of the rooms in the house, and around the perimeter set up, and the aunt is no longer in the picture. I had to pull a few strings, but I got it done," Johnson stated, as he walked into the rundown office building.  
  
"That's great, Johnson," Riley stated absently, looking at the monitors in front of him, watching Buffy make out with Spike, and growing even angrier.  
  
"I've had one of the boys watch her for the past week, to get her routine down, so you know the best time to.um.get her back," Johnson said. Riley heard the uncertainty in his voice, and turned to look at him.  
  
"Johnson, you're not thinking of backing out on me, are you?" Riley said, switching all but one monitor off.  
  
"No, Boss," he said, backing toward the door. Riley stood and walked over to him.  
  
"Good. You and Devon get monitor duty tonight."  
  
"Okay, Boss."  
  
"Good," Riley said, smiling, and turning back around to see Spike and Buffy practically screwing on the sofa in the den. The smile faded to a scowl. "Get out!" He growled, and Johnson left.  
  
"Soon, Buffy, soon," he said, pulling out his wallet, looking at the only picture he had left of he and Buffy. They were at the beach. It was bright and sunny, and they were happy.and in his mind they would be again.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
It was just after prom, and Buffy and Spike had just gotten back, and were making out on her sofa. Buffy maneuvered herself so she was straddling his lap, which was not easy, considering the length of her dress, but lucky for her, there was a slit on both sides. One of his hands traveled up to tangle in her hair, while the other rested on her lower back, pulling her closer to him. Buffy had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Spike stopped his assault on her mouth so they could both catch their breath.  
  
"Make love to me, Spike," Buffy said.  
  
"You sure?" Spike asked, nipping at the tender flesh of her neck.  
  
"Very," Buffy breathed, as Spike stood up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. Spike made his way up to Buffy's bedroom. Spike lay Buffy down on the bed. They tenderly stripped each other of their clothing, and then they made love. It was tender, but yet, it was filled with so much passion and desire. It was something that Buffy or Spike thought they would never feel. They fell asleep, holding each other close, with small smiles displayed on both of their faces.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The next day was the last day for seniors, but it also seemed to be the longest. Buffy was sitting in her business industry class, watching all the students hug and share tearful good byes, and all she could think about was how she couldn't wait for the day to be over and school to be done with. She had a job waiting for her at Mr. Giles's magic shop. She wasn't sure if she would take it. Spike and Xander were working at a local construction site, and Willow had a job at the shop. She kept thinking about then night before; how perfect it was, how happy she was. She never thought that she could feel like that ever again after mother and father had died. Spike made her happy; he completed her. She was brought out of her thoughts by the lunch bell ringing.  
  
The lunchroom was decorated with the class colors, and a large banner that said 'Congratulations Graduates.'  
  
"You know, they put that sign up every year. You figure they would get a new one," Willow commented as Buffy sat down across from her.  
  
"You know, I think I might actually miss this place," Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's going to be weird not having to get up and come to school," Willow said, pulling out her yearbook. "Look what Faith Chase wrote in my book."  
  
"Wow, what a bitch," Buffy said, looking at the book.  
  
Willow  
  
I'd like to say it was nice knowing you, but that would be a lie. I hope you and that freak loser, Xander, work out, just don't have children. Anyway, have a nice life.  
  
Faith  
  
"Talk about shallow. What did you write in hers?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I wrote 'Faith, have a nice life. See you at graduation. Good luck with the future. Willow.' I was being nice, but what the hell! She's a bitch," Willow said, putting her yearbook in her bag. "I have to go meet Xander. I'll see you later," Willow said, getting up and leaving.  
  
Buffy pulled out her yearbook, and started looking through it. There were pictures of the Chase sisters and their group of friends. She turned another page and there was a picture of Spike and she kissing in the hall. The caption under it wrote, Love in the halls of Sunnydale High. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts of the future, that she didn't even notice Spike had come in and seated himself next to her, until he set a single red rose on top of the book.  
  
"Hey, love, you all right?" Spike asked, planting a kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Yeah, just thinking," Buffy said, smiling. She picked up the rose, and looking at Spike, asked, "What's the rose for?"  
  
"Well, I thought I should get you a beautiful flower, but then I realized that any flower couldn't compare to your beauty.corny, huh?" Spike said, giving her a smirk.  
  
"No, not corny. Nice, very nice," Buffy said, leaning in to kiss him. Just as their lips touched, the bell rang. Spike deepened the kiss, but Buffy broke it, saying, "I have to go say goodbye to Sheila and Jennie. Love you," she said giving him another quick kiss and grabbing her books, then rose, hurrying away.  
  
"Love you too," Spike said, watching her walk away. She's so beautiful he thought, and left for his last class ever in his high school career. 


	5. Part 5

"Is everything ready?" Riley asked, sitting down at his desk.  
  
"Yes, Boss, everything is ready for tonight," Johnson answered.  
  
"Good. If everything goes well, I should be able to get Buffy back," Riley said, and then mumbled to himself, "Stupid bitch should have never left me in the first place."  
  
"Okay. I'm going to go now, and get the rest of the monitors set up in the van," Johnson said, backing toward the door. When Riley did not answer, he left.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"So, are we having movie marathon tonight, since the Bronze is closed?" Willow asked Buffy in study hall.  
  
"Sure. What movies?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I don't know. Xand and I could pick up some movies and pizza and meet at your house," Willow said.  
  
"Okay. You sure Xander and Spike will be up to a movie fest?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Don't know. Maybe we should ask?" Willow said, pulling out her cell phone. "He has his phone on. He'd better answer," she muttered, punching in the number.  
  
When Xander picked up his phone, Willow started speaking. "Hello. do you mean why am I calling.? You're not going to get in trouble.so.whatever. Anyway, Buffy and I want to have a movie fest tonight. You and Spike up for it? Yeah, okay.bye.love you too. Tell Spike Buffy says 'Love you.'"  
  
"They're up for it," she said, placing her cell in her bag.  
  
"Cool," Buffy answered.  
  
When the bell rang, Buffy and Willow waited for their boyfriends at their lockers. Later, at Buffy's house, after Spike and Xander went to work, Willow got a phone call.  
  
"Hello?" Willow asked.  
  
"Yes, Willow. I need you to come in for about an hour to help me with cataloging," Giles said.  
  
"Okay, want Buffy to come too?"  
  
"No, that's quite all right."  
  
"See you later, G-man," Willow said, and then hung up her phone. "I'll be back. I'll pick up the videos, so Spike and Xander can pick up the food."  
  
"See ya, Wills.Oh, and pick up a good chick flick," Buffy said to Willow, as she walked out the door.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"She's alone, Boss," Johnson said.  
  
"Good. We move in. I want the perimeter surrounded. I want to know if the police come, so I can get Buffy and get out," Riley said, watching her through the window of the van parked in front of her house.  
  
"I have two men on each corner," Johnson said, checking the monitors. "She's in the kitchen, Boss, looks like she's making popcorn."  
  
"All right, I'm moving out. Keep me informed," Riley said, exiting the van.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Buffy had just finished pouring the popped popcorn into a large bowl when she heard the front door open, and then close. She threw the empty bag away.  
  
"Wills, is that you? Did Giles decide not do the inventory tonight?" She called from the kitchen. She heard someone enter the kitchen. She turned around with the bowl of popcorn in her hands, a smile on her face, but the smile faded when she saw who was standing there, and pure fear entered her heart.  
  
"Riley?" She asked, as she dropped the bowl. "Riley?" She asked again, not wanting to believe that he was standing in front of her.  
  
"Buffy," Riley said, moving toward her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked, backing towards the counter.  
  
"I came back for you, Buffy," Riley said, still advancing on her. Buffy stared at him, wishing that this was all a dream, and that she could just wake up. "You know, Buff, when you had me arrested two years ago, I knew in my heart that you had nothing to do with it; that you didn't want it that way, that your aunt made you do it," he said, getting closer and closer to her. "And, when I got out, you would be there waiting for me." Riley was standing so close to her now that she could not move. "But you left. You weren't there, you stupid bitch." Riley hit her so hard and so fast that she didn't see his fist coming. She hit the ground. She felt blood dripping from her nose. "See? Look what you made me do, Buff. I didn't want to hurt you, but you make me so angry. Promise me you won't make me angry again?"  
  
She didn't answer him. That only made him angrier, and he grabbed her arm and threw her into the den. Riley walked in with a gun pointed at her head. "Get up!" He commanded. When she stood up, he pushed her down onto the sofa. "You know, Buffy, I still lo-" He was cut short by the telephone ringing. "Answer it," he said, the gun still pointed at her.  
  
"Hello," Buffy said, trying to sound calm.  
  
"Hey, pet, I'm here with Xander and Willow. I'm going to give them a hand. Is that okay with you?" Spike asked.  
  
"Yeah, fine," Buffy said, her voice cracking somewhat.  
  
"Hey, Buffy, you okay?" Spike asked. She sounded very sad, almost scared.  
  
"No."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Buffy remained silent, carefully watching Riley.  
  
"Buffy, can you tell me what's wrong?"  
  
"No," she answered weakly.  
  
She looked at Riley, who mouthed, 'Hang it up.'  
  
"I have to go now. I love you, William," she said, then hung up the phone. She knew as soon as she said his real name, he would know something was wrong and come home, but she still the tears came from her eyes, not knowing if that was the last time she would every hear his voice.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Did she say what was wrong?" Xander asked, looking up from his inventory list.  
  
"No, but something isn't right," Spike said, grabbing his keys.  
  
"Huh?" Willow asked. "What's not right?"  
  
"She called me, 'William.' She never does that. I'm going to go see what's going on," Spike said, walking toward the door.  
  
"All right, but call, if anything bad has occurred," Giles said. When Spike was gone, Willow went over to the phone.  
  
"I'll call and see if I can get her to tell me," she said, picking up the phone.  
  
When she dialed the number, she heard a recorded message that said, 'The number you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time. Please call again.'  
  
"It's off the hook. Why would Buffy take her phone off the hook?" Willow asked, looking at Xander.  
  
"I don't see what is so unusual about that," Giles said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them.  
  
"Giles, a seventeen year old girl does not take her phone off the hook, no mater what," Willow said.  
  
"Well, after we're done here, you can go over and see what's going on," Giles said, opening a box and beginning to rummage through it.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
As soon as Buffy hung up the phone with Spike, Riley pulled the cord out of the wall.  
  
"Now that we won't have any more interruptions, we can get back to 'us,'" Riley said, sitting on the coffee table in front of Buffy.  
  
"Riley, there is no us," Buffy said, looking him in the eyes.  
  
"Don't lie to me, Buffy."  
  
"I'm not, Riley. I don't love you. Not any more. Things change, people change," she said, trying to calm him down enough so she could get out of the house.  
  
"You will soon enough. You'll love me again," he said, as the front door opened.  
  
"Buffy?" Spike called from the hallway. Riley quickly leaned forward and covered Buffy's mouth.  
  
"Say one word," he whispered, "and I'll kill him." Buffy nodded her head as Riley left the room.  
  
"What the hell?" Spike asked in confusion, as he saw the man he recognized as Riley, Buffy's ex, pointing a gun at him.  
  
"Den, now," Riley said. When Spike entered the den, he saw Buffy sitting on the sofa, a fresh bruise on her cheek, and some fresh blood dripping from her nose. His first instinct was to run to her, but Riley pushing him down into a chair, and pointing a gun at his head stopped him.  
  
"Stay," he commanded. As Spike tried to get up again, Riley pulled his phone out. "Johnson, get in here," he said, then hung up. When Johnson entered, Riley looked at him, then walked over to Buffy, pulling her up off the sofa. "Kill him," he said. When Johnson pointed the gun at Spike, Buffy screamed.  
  
"No! Riley, please don't, don't do this, please!" She begged.  
  
"Too late," he said, and pulled her toward the front door. Just before he left, he looked back at Johnson. "You know where I'll be," he said, then left, Buffy fighting him the whole way.  
  
Johnson pulled the trigger.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
When Spike awoke, he was in a small white room. "Ah, you're finally awake," he heard a female voice say.  
  
"Where am I?" Spike asked, his voice weak.  
  
"In the hospital," the voice answered. "I'll go get your father and friends." She left the room. Spike sat up as his friends walked in.  
  
"He took Buffy. We have to go find her," he said to Willow and Xander, trying to get out of bed.  
  
"No, man, lay down," Xander said.  
  
"What?" Spike said, getting angry with his friends. "Why?"  
  
"No, Spike, relax. The police are looking for her. We found the guy that shot you, and the van, and the tapes, so don't worry. We will find Buffy." Willow said, sitting in a chair beside the bed. Then, she and Xander went into the whole story about how they had followed Spike after he'd left, then heard the shot and called the cops.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Riley got tired of her struggling, and about halfway to the car, he threw her to the ground. She was stunned, until she heard the gun shot, and tried to get back up and run to the house, but she found she couldn't move. Riley was straddling her lap, holding her down with one hand. In his other hand, he had a needle, and then everything went black.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
It had been one day since Riley had taken Buffy, and Spike was released from the hospital. The police had said that they were close to finding Buffy and Riley, but Spike wasn't so sure. For now, Spike was sitting at home with his father.  
  
"Don't worry, William, I'm sure that they'll find her, and that wanker, Riley, will go to prison for good," Giles said, sitting down next to his son.  
  
"Yeah, Dad," Spike said, staring out the window. It was starting to get dark. He missed Buffy. He had been worried sick ever since he had called Buffy, and she had said that there had been something wrong. He was brought out of his thoughts by the phone ringing, and his father answering it.  
  
"Yes," Giles said, "are you sure? When? Yes, I'll tell him.What hospital? Yes, we'll be there." Giles hung up, and looked over at Spike, whose head had popped up at the word 'hospital.' "They found Riley. They found Buffy in the mansion on Crawford Street. They said for us to meet them at the county hospital."  
  
"All right. Let's go," Spike said, rushing to the door.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
When Buffy awoke, there were people standing in front of her, and she could feel someone behind her untying the ropes around her wrists. She moaned in pain when one of them picked her up and put her on a stretcher. She only heard some of what they were saying.  
  
"We have to find out what he drugged her with, or else we'll have to pump her stomach," she heard one of them say, but then she passed out again.  
  
When she woke up, her head hurt her less, and she was in a small white room. She moaned, and sat up. She noticed Spike asleep on the chair next to her bed, and then she realized where she was; she was in the hospital.  
  
"Spike," she whispered, her voice horse and dry. " Spike," she said louder, when he didn't stir. Spike opened his eyes and looked around. He could have sworn he heard someone say his name.  
  
"Buffy! You had me so worried," he said, getting up and hugging her.  
  
"Ouch," Buffy said. Her side was killing her. She didn't know what Riley had done to her, but it hurt like hell.  
  
"Sorry, pet," Spike said, kissing her forehead.  
  
"Okay," Buffy said, yawning. "What happened?"  
  
"Why don't you try and sleep, Pet? I'll be right back," Spike said, getting up to go get the doctor.  
  
"No, I'm not sleepy," she said, sitting up all the way, pulling his hand.  
  
"Well, Ms. Summers, it's good to see you awake. I'm Doctor Frank. I took care of you when you came in," the doctor said, sitting down in a swivel chair across from Buffy.  
  
"Hi, Doctor Frank," Buffy said, as cheerily as possible.  
  
"Is your throat sore, Buffy?" The doctor asked, looking down at a chart.  
  
"Yes. How come?" Buffy asked, looking at Spike, who took her hand and kissed it.  
  
"We had to pump your stomach to get the drugs out of your system," the doctor said, writing something in the chart.  
  
"When can I go home?" Buffy asked, closing her eyes.  
  
"We will be keeping you over night for observation, but if everything looks good, tomorrow you can go home. Now I'm going to go. If you need anything, there is a nurse outside the room." With that, she left the room.  
  
"Spike, can you stay here tonight?" She asked, lying back down and yawning.  
  
"Sure, Pet," Spike said, lying down besides her, holding her close.  
  
Epilogue  
  
Seven years later  
  
"Ahh! Aunt Buffy!" Merry cried.  
  
"What's the matter?" Buffy asked, looking up from her laptop computer to see the small four year old come running in to the dining room.  
  
"Jason won't leave me alone. He keeps calling me 'stupid,' 'cause I play with dolls, and I told him that trucks were stupid, and then he threw one at me!" The small child cried, as Buffy closed the laptop on the table and stood up.  
  
"Come on, let's go get your stuff ready for your mom. She should be here soon," Buffy said, taking the small child's hand, and leading her back in to the living room.  
  
"Jason?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yes, Aunt Buffy?"  
  
"Did you call your sister 'stupid?'" Buffy asked, as she started to pick up the toy cars and put them into a small backpack.  
  
"No," he said sweetly.  
  
"Yes, he did, Aunt Buffy!" Merry shrieked, jumping on the sofa.  
  
"No, I didn't!" Jason cried.  
  
"Okay, okay, stop both of you. No more fighting. Make up right now," Buffy said sternly.  
  
"Sorry," Jason mumbled.  
  
"Sorry," Merry said.  
  
"All right, thank you. Do you to want to watch television with me until your mom gets here?"  
  
"Sure, Aunt Buffy!" Both children shrieked. Buffy, Jason, and Merry sat on the sofa. It always surprised Buffy how different they were, even though they were twins. They looked nothing alike. When the doorbell rang, Buffy got up to answer it.  
  
"Hey," Willow said when Buffy opened the door.  
  
"Hey, Wills, how was work?" Buffy asked, as Willow entered the house.  
  
"Great, and thanks for watching the kids for me. The day care center was closed," Willow said, pulling her wallet out of her purse, and taking out a twenty. "Here," she said, handing the money to Buffy.  
  
"No, Wills, I can't take your money," Buffy said, pushing her hand away.  
  
"Buffy, are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. They were no trouble. All I did was feed them and work on my new book," Buffy said.  
  
"How is the book coming?" Willow asked.  
  
"Great. This one is set in the 1980s. It has vampires and demons. The main characters are Alicia and Jeff. They're vampire lovers, but that's all I'm going to tell you. You'll have to read it when I'm done," Buffy said, walking into the living room.  
  
"What's the title?" Willow asked, as Merry and Jason shrieked, "Mommy!" and ran up to her to hug her. It had been seven years since Willow and Xander had gotten married and, almost five years since Willow had become pregnant with the twins.  
  
"Don't know yet. I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of 'Bleeding Hearts,' by Buffy Ann Giles," Buffy said, as Willow picked up two small bags.  
  
"Sounds great, Buff. I'm going to get the kids home. I'll call you tonight, after we get back from the fireworks show," Willow said, ushering her two kids to the front door.  
  
"Have fun, Wills. Bye," she said, opening the door for them.  
  
"Bye, Aunt Buffy," Merry said, hugging Buffy.  
  
"Bye," Jason said, hugging Buffy as well.  
  
"Bye, you two. See you later," she said, hugging them back, then leaning against the door frame. Willow walked them to the car, buckled them in, and then she got in and drove off, but not before sticking her hand out the window and waving good bye.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Buffy walked upstairs to check on her newborn bundle of joy.  
  
"Hey, Dawn," Buffy whispered, and she trailed her hand down her sleeping daughter's cheek.  
  
She sat down in the chair beside her baby's crib, and looked at the diamond ring on her finger, and felt completely content. She and Spike had gotten married almost a year after the incident with Riley, but she rarely called him 'Spike' anymore. It was always 'William,' and now, here she was in the home that she now shared with her husband and new born daughter. Buffy had become a well-known writer, and Willow now owned the magic shop. Xander and Spike now owned their own construction business. She fell asleep there on the chair, with the images of her wedding day running through her head. She was awakened by a soft voice calling her name.  
  
"Buffy," William whispered.  
  
"Hey, Will," Buffy said, waking up.  
  
"Hey, you want to come to bed?" William asked with a smile.  
  
"Yeah," she said, starting to get up, but when William picked her up, she relaxed into his embrace.  
  
"Allow me," he whispered in her ear. William carried her into their bedroom and placed her gently on their bed. Soon, she was drifting off to sleep with William snuggled close to her, and her sleeping bundle of joy in the next room.  
  
The End??? 


	6. Part 6

What happened to Riley?  
  
A doctor sat in the small room, looking through the one-way mirror at his patient, Riley Finn, looking down every once in a while to write in the notebook sitting in front of him. Riley sat over in the corner, rocking back in forth, staring blankly at the door, mumbling incoherently. Every once in a while, he could make out the name 'Buffy.'  
  
The doctor looked up at the door when it creaked open, and smiled when a small woman with brown hair stepped in.  
  
"Hello, John. Long time, no see," she said, with a smile.  
  
"Kelley," he said, with a nod.  
  
"So, what do we have here?" She asked, sitting down, looking at the man sitting in the corner of the padded room.  
  
"That is Riley Finn. He was brought here about two days ago. He shows classic signs of depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. They are only minor, but they're still there."  
  
"Well, it sounds to me that you have it right. Why call me here?" She asked, looking over his notes.  
  
"Well, he keeps mumbling a name. 'Buffy.'"  
  
"Buffy Summers?" Kelley asked.  
  
"I think so. Her name is somewhere in my notes."  
  
"Yeah, here, it is. She was a patient of mine after her parents died. She's kept in touch though, and I think she's getting married soon," Kelley said.  
  
"Riley kidnapped her, drugged her, and shot her boyfriend," John read from his notes.  
  
"Shit," she said.  
  
"Yeah, I know. So, tell me about this Buffy girl. I need some happy news."  
  
"She's getting married. She sent me a picture of the lucky guy and her." Kelley said, pulling a picture out of her purse, and handing it to John. John smiled and looked over at Kelley.  
  
"Do you ever have second thoughts about us?" He asked.  
  
"Sometimes," she whispered.  
  
"After I get off here, do you want to go out for coffee?"  
  
"That would be nice," she said, smiling. She looked down at her pager. "I have to go, but I can meet you at the coffee shop on the corner of Melrose and Frankfort, if that's all right with you?"  
  
"That's fine. Let's say in an hour."  
  
"All right, six it is," she said, standing, then leaving the room. John sighed and looked at Riley one last time, before leaving to go to his office. Once in his office, he picked up the phone and hit *3.  
  
"Judy? Patch me through to the Psychiatric Ward in San Francisco." After a few rings, someone picked up.  
  
"Happy Hills Psychiatric Hospital; this is Tiffany. How may I help you?" The chipper female voice asked.  
  
"This is Dr. John Garvin. May I please speak to Dr. Mike Johnson?"  
  
"One moment, Doctor," the woman said, as she put John on hold. John sat in his office with his feet propped up on his desk, and looked up at the ceiling. He sighed and closed his eyes, but opened them a second later when he heard his door open. He gasped, and he was expecting to see his secretary, Janice, but, instead, he saw his patient, Riley Finn, standing before him. John hung up the phone. He stood and backed up.  
  
"H-h-how did you get out?" He stuttered.  
  
"Shh Doc, relax. I'm not going to hurt you," Riley said. Then, after a long pause, he added, "I'm just going to kill you."  
  
The doctor didn't even have time to react before Riley lunged at him, and stabbed the plastic knife into his neck. The blood clogging his throat muffled the doctor's scream of pain. Riley watched as the doctor sank to the floor, and then walked over to the closet in the corner. He pulled out a pair of pants and a white shirt. He put them on, then took the doctor's ID card and security pass, and then the doctor's wallet.  
  
"Fifty bucks? Cheap bastard." He sighed. Hopefully, he could get out without getting caught.  
  
You see, Riley wasn't truly insane. But, he played it well enough to get out of a life sentence. Riley made his way silently through the hospital. Most of the doctors had gone home for the night, so his only worry was the security guard, but he made it past him with no problem. An hour later, he sat in a small hotel room.  
  
"I'm coming back for you, Buffy," he said, looking at the picture that the other doctor had given John. "Maybe now you'll see how much you need me." He turned off the light and lay down. He closed his eyes. Soon, he would go back to Sunnydale. But, for now, he had to plan. He couldn't mess this up if he wanted Buffy to be his again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
**TBC** 


	7. Part 7

*December 3*   
  
Buffy was sitting at her desk, pen in hand, writing down ideas on a large legal pad, when she heard the front door open and close. She was startled at first; she wasn't expecting William home until five o'clock, and it was only four-thirty. She put her pen down, and grabbed the baby monitor on her desk and clipped it on to the waistband of her jeans, then walked out into the living room. Seeing William standing there, she relaxed.   
  
"What are you doing home this early?" She asked, sitting down on the sofa.   
  
"Angel called," William said, sitting down next to her, and running his hand through his soft, honey brown hair.   
  
"Any news? Did they find Riley?" She asked, somewhat hopefully, even though she knew by William's actions that the news wasn't good.   
  
"They found the place he was staying at, but it looks as if he hasn't been there in a few weeks.Angel said he wouldn't stop looking until he's behind bars." Buffy rested her head on his shoulder. William heard the small hiccuping sound she made when she cried, and pulled her into his lap.   
  
"Shh, pet, don't cry.You know it kills me when you cry," he soothed, running his hands up and down her back. Buffy slowly stopped, wiping her eyes and sniffling a little as she looked up at him.   
  
"I'm sorry. It's just that we've been looking for him for so long. I just want it to be over."   
  
"I know, pet. I want it to be over too," he said, still holding Buffy tightly. Buffy was the first to speak after the silence that followed.   
  
"Want to help me decorate for Christmas?" She asked. She needed to get her mind off Riley. Will smiled at her and nodded. "Good, you can go get the Christmas tree from the basement. I'm going to go check to see if Dawn's up."   
  
By the time Buffy had come back down the steps, Will already had the tree up in the stand. They talked about getting a real Christmas tree, but decided against it. It was easier to just pull a tree out of a box. Will stood, and took Dawn into his arms.   
  
"I think she's getting a cold," Buffy said, as she walked over to the hall closet, where they kept the lights for the tree.   
  
"Did you call the doctor?" He asked, while making funny faces and cooing noises at Dawn.   
  
"Yeah. He said just to give her plenty of juices and keep her in from the cold," Buffy said, struggling to get the box of lights from the top shelf in the closet. Sometimes, she hated being petite. Will looked over at Buffy, and smiled. He settled Dawn gently into her playpen and walked over to get the box down for Buffy. Buffy smiled when Will reached up and retrieved the box for her, then kissed the top of her head.   
  
"There you go, beautiful."   
  
Three hours later, Will was outside, decorating the yard with Christmas lights, and Buffy was in the kitchen, cooking for a Christmas dinner. Buffy put the cookie pan, with cookies, back into the oven, and set the timer. She walked into the living room and picked up a sleeping Dawn, and carried her back up to her room. Buffy lay her into her crib, then covered her up with a blanket. She switched the baby monitor on, and went downstairs, where she checked on the cookies, before grabbing her coat and going outside to see how Will was doing with the decorations.   
  
"Hey, how's it going?" She asked, walking up to Will. He smiled at her.   
  
"How's it look?" He asked, plugging in the last extension cord. Buffy turned to look at the house. There were lights going around the whole porch. The tree in the front had lights wrapped around it, and there were snowmen and reindeer that lit up in the yard. And, on the roof, there was a large lit up Santa and sign that read Merry Christmas.   
  
"Gorgeous," she said.   
  
"Come on, let's get inside, pet," he said, leading Buffy inside. Once inside, Will looked over at the playpen, expecting to see Dawn, but she wasn't there. "Where's Bit?" He asked.   
  
"She fell asleep watching the lights on the tree blink, so I took her up to her room," Buffy said, taking off her coat, and walking into the kitchen. Will took off his coat as well, and followed her.   
  
"Oh, cookies!" He said, grabbing one out of the cookie jar and biting into it.   
  
"Yes, and don't eat them all in one day," she said, grinning. Will's lower lip jutted out, and Buffy giggled.   
  
"Fine.bloody cookie nazi," he grumbled. Buffy was about to say something smart when the phone rang. Will picked it up.   
  
"'Ello?" He said.   
  
"Hey, William. It's me, Angel."   
  
"What's up, mate? Any news?" He asked, hopefully.   
  
"Yeah, but it's not good, I'm afraid."   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"We just got word that Riley was seen in Sunnydale."   
  
"Are you sure?" He asked, before he heard a knock at the door. Buffy was about to get the door, when Will handed her the phone. "It's Angel. There's some bad news about Riley," he said, before leaving the kitchen to get the door.   
  
"A-Angel, what's wrong?"   
  
"Buffy, don't freak. Okay.he was spotted in Sunnydale.but I don't want you to worry. I contacted the police department there and let them know what was going on, and I'll be there in a few days. Do you have an extra room I could stay in? If not, I could always get a hotel."   
  
"No, no, that's fine. You can stay here."   
  
"That sounds good. I'll see you in a few days," Angel said.   
  
"Okay. Good-bye, Angel. Thank you."   
  
"Bye, Buffy." Buffy hung up the phone and walked slowly into the living room, then into the den, where she heard Will talking with someone.   
  
Will had handed Buffy the phone, and walked through the living room to the hallway, then to the door. He looked out the peephole, and saw a man in a suit and tie standing there.   
  
"Can I help you?" Will asked, when he opened the door. The man flashed him a Sunnydale PD badge, and introduced himself.   
  
"Hi, I'm Detective Graves, from the Sunnydale Police Department. Are you William Giles?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Your brother called From Los Angeles, and filled us in on what's been going on. I was asked to come here and make sure everything was okay. May I come in?" He asked. Will opened the door wider, and Detective Graves stepped in.   
  
A few minutes later, Buffy walked into the den.   
  
"Pet, this is Detective Graves, from the SDPD."   
  
"How do you do, ma'am?"   
  
"Fine, thanks. Will, your brother will be here in a few days. We need to clean out the guest room for him to stay in."   
  
"I must say, my wife is a big fan of yours Mrs. Giles," the detective said, as his pager went off. "That's the station. I have to get back. But, there will be an officer coming by your house every day, just in case. You folks have a good night," he said, then let himself out of the house.   
  
Buffy walked over to William. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Do you smell something burning?" Will asked.   
  
"Shit! The cookies!" Buffy shrieked, running towards the kitchen, with William close behind her. Buffy grabbed an oven mitt, and pulled the smoking cookies out of the oven. Buffy threw them into the sink, and Will turned on the water. Buffy and Will both dissolved into a fit of giggles. Buffy turned off the oven, and she and Will went into the living room and relaxed on the sofa.   
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~   
  
Riley stood a few hundred yards from the house with a telephoto lens camera in hand, snapping pictures, watching Buffy laughing.   
  
"Soon, Buffy, soon," he said, watching as she and that punk she'd been in with high school go into the other room.   
  
**TBC** A/N Hey Guys I know its been forever But I didn't forget I hope I still have some readers. So please Review, I'd love to get over 10. @sh 


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